Katie Chandler is flexing her bright and shiny new magical
muscles (only in a secret room at work, to avoid outing her
boyfriend Owen's recovery of his powers that happened at the
same time) when elves start disappearing. Could the power-
hungry Sylvester, disputed leader of the elves and one of
the bad guys from book six in the series be back and causing
trouble?
Katie's Granny is still in town and staying with Owen so she
can help Katie learn the folk-style of magic she knows best.
Between Granny and Katie's three roommates time alone with
Owen has been limited. Katie still has trouble figuring out
exactly what handsome and brilliant Owen sees in her, but
soon events heat up enough that she is focused more on
saving the world (again) than on her own self-confidence
issues.
I have to tell you that if you plunge into the series for
the first time in book seven, you will have a battle on your
hands to keep track of the players and the plot. Despite
valiant attempts by author Shanna Swendson it is just too
difficult to cram six books of backstory into the first
chapter or two of book seven in her Enchanted, Inc
series. That being said, if you have a passion for comically
light paranormal reading, it is worth it to invest in, say,
books four, five and six before reading seven. It will
provide you with enough of the recent events to make KISS
AND SPELL an enjoyable romp.
Swendson has brought back many of the characters long-time
readers have grown to love including Sam the gargoyle
security guy and Perdita the clumsy elven assistant. She
stays true to the world she has built and adds another
(elven) dimension to create a platform expanded beyond the
the New York or Texas settings of earlier books. The arc of
relationship between Owen and Katie also matures during KISS
AND SPELL in a very satisfying manner. I couldn't track down
when book eight might be released, but did learn Shanna
Swendson has sold a young adult steampunk book slated for
release in 2015.
When a freak accident leaves Katie Chandler with magical powers, it seems like a wish come true for the former magical immune. But it also means she's vulnerable to magic, just when the dangerous Elf Lord is cooking up another scheme in his bid for power. Anyone who gets in his way disappears--including Katie and her wizard boyfriend, Owen Palmer. Now Katie's under a spell that obscures her true identity, living a life right out of a romantic comedy movie in a Hollywood set version of New York. Will she be able to find her true Mr. Right in time to break the spell with a kiss and warn everyone, or will she be trapped forever, unaware of the doom facing her world?